Mikey Williams continues to impress as TNT blew past Meralco, 91-76, to remain unbeaten in five games in the 2021 Honda PBA Philippine Cup, Friday night at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
The Fil-Am combo guard finished with a game-high 27 points on 55-percent shooting from the field, along with four rebounds, two assists, and a steal as the Tropang Giga improved to 5-0 to remain atop the standings.
Nine of his points came in the fourth quarter, helping his side make sure that the Bolts won’t replicate their comeback two nights ago versus Magnolia that saw them emerge victorious from 13 down in the last two minutes.
“We watched very intently how they got their W the last time out and we knew their ability to come back. So the key was our ability to stay patient and not panic and just to stay relax,” said head coach Chot Reyes.
Roger Pogoy also played a key role in the victory, unloading a conference-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting with five rebounds in an error-less outing. Jayson Castro, meanwhile, supplied 14 markers off the bench.
It was Castro who sparked their second quarter pull-away, making the first four points of an 18-2 rally that propelled the Tropa to a 40-15 advantage with 5:28 on the clock. He went on to score 10 in the said period.
TNT then went on to lead by 30 points four times into the third canto, but the Bolts did not just concede and tried to fight back all it could.
Norman Black’s wards eventually chopped the deficit to just 11, 65-76, with 8:36 to go in the fourth, but Pogoy and Williams connived for seven straight points to push the lead back to 18 approaching the last six minutes.
“We had to make some mid-game adjustments and in-game coaching to be able to show them how to handle that pressure of Meralco, which is what got them back in their last game,” offered Reyes.
The win, though, could not be fully celebrated by TNT as Troy Rosario suffered an apparent ankle injury with less than four minutes left to play after chasing a loose ball. He left with four points and nine rebounds.
Reyes hopes nothing but the best for his prized forward, as he will be needed in their clash with Magnolia (5-1) on Sunday, September 5, at 7:00 p.m.
“Hopefully Troy’s injury is not too severe. Hopefully, he can play again on Sunday ’cause that’s going to be a big part of our offense,” he said.
Nard Pinto led Meralco with 16 points and seven rebounds in the defeat, which snapped their three-game win streak and sent their card to 5-2.
Reynel Hugnatan was the only other double-digit scorer with 14 for the Bolts, who committed 23 turnovers — 15 of which in the first half alone.
Meralco now hopes to redeem itself when it battles rivals Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2-3) also on Sunday at 4:35 p.m.
The Scores:
TNT 91 — Williams M. 27, Pogoy 20, Castro 14, Erram 9, Khobuntin 8, Heruela 5, Rosario 4, Williams K. 3, Montalbo 0, Alejandro 0, Marcelo 0.
Meralco 76 — Pinto 16, Hugnatan 14, Black 8, Hodge 8, Belo 6, Quinto 6, Newsome 5, Caram 4, Maliksi 3, Almazan 2, Pasaol 2, Jamito 2, Jackson 0, Jose 0.
Quarterscores: 22-13, 54-26, 74-59, 91-76.
